Protein self-modification by heme-generated reactive species.

In the presence of H(2)O(2), heme proteins form active intermediates, which are able to oxidize exogenous molecules. Often these products are not stable compounds but reactive species on their own, such as organic radicals. They can both diffuse to the bulk of the solution or react with the protein that generated them.

Tyrosinase-generated quinones induce covalent modification, unfolding, and aggregation of human holo-myoglobin.

The present study describes the pattern of protein modification undergone by human holo-myoglobin by reactive fluoroquinones enzymatically produced by oxidation of 3-fluorophenol in mild conditions (pH 7.4, 25 degrees C). The fluoroquinones react with a number of histidine residues.

Synthetic chrysotile nanocrystals as a reference standard to investigate surface-induced serum albumin structural modifications.

Geoinspired synthetic chrysotile, which represents an ideal asbestos reference standard, has been utilized to investigate homomolecular exchange of bovine serum albumin (BSA), the major plasma protein, between the adsorbed and dissolved state at the interface between asbestos fibers and biological medium. FTIR spectroscopy has been used to quantify BSA structural modifications due to surface adhesion on chrysotile fibers as a function of the surface coating extent. Circular dichroism spectroscopy has been used to investigate the adsorption/desorption equilibrium through analysis of the BSA structural perturbations after protein desorption from chrysotile surface.

Hydroxylation of phenolic compounds by a peroxodicopper(II) complex: further insight into the mechanism of tyrosinase.

The dicopper(I) complex [Cu2(MeL66)]2+ (where MeL66 is the hexadentate ligand 3,5-bis-{bis-[2-(1-methyl-1H-benzimidazol-2-yl)-ethyl]-amino}-meth ylbenzene) reacts reversibly with dioxygen at low temperature to form a mu-peroxo adduct. Kinetic studies of O2 binding carried out in acetone in the temperature range from -80 to -55 degrees C yielded the activation parameters DeltaH1(not equal) = 40.4 +/- 2.

Mechanistic insight into the activity of tyrosinase from variable-temperature studies in an aqueous/organic solvent.

The activity of mushroom tyrosinase towards a representative series of phenolic and diphenolic substrates structurally related to tyrosine has been investigated in a mixed solvent of 34.4% methanol-glycerol (7:1, v/v) and 65.6% (v/v) aqueous 50 mM Hepes buffer at pH 6.

Mechanistic insight into the catechol oxidase activity by a biomimetic dinuclear copper complex.

The biomimetic catalytic oxidation of 3,5-di- tert-butylcatechol by the dicopper(II) complex of the ligand alpha,alpha'-bis(bis[1-(1'-methyl-2'-benzimidazolyl)methyl]amino)- m-xylene in the presence of dioxygen has been investigated as a function of temperature and pH in a mixed aqueous/organic solvent. The catalytic cycle occurs in two steps, the first step being faster than the second step. In the first step, one molecule of catechol is oxidized by the dicopper(II) complex, and the copper(II) centers are reduced.

New aspects of the reactivity of tyrosinase.

Tyrosinase was found to be active in the sulfoxidation of thioanisol, producing the (R)-sulfoxide with high enantiomeric excess. The activity of the enzyme with phenolic and diphenolic substrates in a mixed aqueous Hepes buffer pH 6.8-methanol-glycerol solvent was also investigated over a range of temperatures.